Mediterraneaby Jonas Carpignano (Italy, United States, Germany, France, Qatar), a tale of youth about two friends who make their way from Burkina Faso to Italy only to be confronted by culture shock and disappointment.

Mustangby Deniz Gamze Ergüven (France, Germany, Turkey, Qatar), a beautifully mounted story about the demonisation of young female sexuality in a remote Turkish village.

The Lesson (Urok)by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov (Bulgaria, Greece), which tells of Nadezhda, a young teacher in a Bulgarian town, who is trying to find the culprit of a theft in her class so she can teach them a lesson about right and wrong, but also faces her own questions.

These finalist films will now be subtitled into all 24 official languages of the European Union for the LUX Film Days. From October, they will leave Venice for a tour of all 28 EU member states. Through screenings in dozens of cities and festivals, LUX Film Days crosses both geographical and language barriers to reach audiences across the continent.

Based on a vote by the Members of the European Parliament, one of the three finalists will go on to be awarded the LUX Prize in November. The winning film will be adapted for the visually and hearing impaired, as well as receiving promotional support for its international release. Previous LUX Film Prize winners have includedIdaby Pawel Pawlikowski (2014), The Broken Circle Breakdown by Felix van Groeningen (2013) and Shun Li and the Poet by Andrea Segre (2012).

Viewers from all around Europe will also have a chance to participate by voting for one of the three films in competition. The winning film will receive the 2015 Audience Mention Award, with one voter chosen to personally announce the winner at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2016.